Church of God News

COGwriter

World Net Daily (WND) posted the following:

No, I was not “one of the millions of people blown away by messianic rabbi Jonathan Cahn.” I am one who has been disappointed by his false predictions, as well as one who has pointed several of them out. I do not consider him “one of the most gifted Bible teachers in the world.”

It remains disturbing to me that WND continues to promote him.

Jonathan Cahn is a Messianic Jew who is perhaps best known for his book The Harbinger.

Jonathan Cahn is also the author of the book The Mystery of the Shemitah:

‘Strange signs’ on Shemitah’s final days

One occurred at Ground Zero, another in Mecca …

Among those who have been studying and teaching on the seven-year Shemitah cycle, the expectations have varied wildly. The Hebrew word “Shemitah” can be interpreted as “release” or “collapse,” which has led to predictions of stock market collapses and economic doom, wars, natural disasters and the period of time Jesus referred to as the “beginning of sorrows.”

Jonathan Cahn, who lifted the Shemitah out of Old Testament obscurity (it is found in Leviticus 25:1-7 and Deuteronomy 15:1-3) with his New York Times-bestseller “The Mystery of the Shemitah,” said judgment, in the form of a “great shaking” is coming to America and the world. The last two Shemitah years, 2000-01 and 2007-08, brought record stock market collapses, similar to the collapses in the Shemitah years of 1973, 1980 and 1987.

He told WND that he noticed two signs in the final days of the current Shemitah – one involving the collapse of a structure in Saudi Arabia on Sept. 11 and the other a rainbow in New York City.

“Very strange. In the last days of the Shemitah, two striking signs. A storm causes destruction on Islam’s central mosque in Mecca (on Sept. 11). At the same time a rainbow appears (Sept. 10) over the tower at Ground Zero,” he said. “Many immediately took this as a good sign. Yet, it was not long ago that America desecrated the sign of the rainbow by using a vessel of God to celebrate the Supreme Court’s striking down the biblical definition of marriage.” …

“We are now witnessing what appears to be a perfect prophetic storm,” Cahn told Charisma magazine for its September issue. “The harbingers have all manifested, the national departure from God is accelerating almost exponentially, America’s relationship with Israel is at an all-time low, and now the striking down of the biblical definition of marriage, the very order of God, we have crossed a fateful line. It is all converging.” http://www.wnd.com/2015/09/strange-signs-on-shemitahs-final-days/#rbhegq1AsyFZl1bD.99

Author Jonathan Cahn raised the idea of the shemitah’s connection to the global economy in his book, The Mystery of the Shemitah, which warns of trouble ahead for America.

“I believe a great shaking is coming to America and the world but America. I believe a shaking is coming that strikes the financial realm, economic realm and even be a shaking that’s greater than that,” Cahn said on The 700 Club this week.

He and others believe there’s a correlation between financial downturns in the United States and the end of the shemitah year.

“[In] 1980 you have recession and then the stock market collapses; you have ’87 stock market collapses and the shemitah of that, and you have ‘Black Monday’ the worst point percentage crash in history,” Cahn explained. “Shemitah of 1994, the bond market collapses, called the bond market massacre—greatest in history; 2001 you have the stock market collapsing, recession. You have the greatest point crash in world history and you have 9/11, which is the shaking. Shemitah also means shaking.” http://macarthur.charismanews.com/world/51942-jonathan-cahn-i-believe-a-shaking-is-coming-that-strikes-the-financial-realm-economic-realm-and-even

While much is ‘converging’ as far as prophecy is concerned, the ‘Shemitah’ claims made by Jonathan Cahn over the years have proven to be false and hollow.

Jesus said nothing about the ‘Shemitah’ being an important factor, when He laid out a variety of signs for the end (cf. Matthew 24:9-20). Furthermore, as regular readers of this page are aware, I was never convinced that this was that actual year based on earlier research I did (my conclusion was that the most recent Shemitah year ended September 24, 2014). Some specifics on calculations related to the ‘Shemitah year’ are in the article The Day of Atonement–Its Christian Significance.

COGwriter

Newsweek reported the following:

The Capitalism Crisis: Is America Really Turning Socialist?

There’s been an awful lot of scribble and chatter lately about a recent Gallup survey purporting to show that America, Democrats especially, are becoming more enamored of socialism.

Here’s how the polling firm describes it: “For the first time in Gallup’s measurement over the past decade, Democrats have a more positive image of socialism than they do of capitalism. Attitudes toward socialism among Democrats have not changed materially since 2010, with 57% today having a positive view. The major change among Democrats has been a less upbeat attitude toward capitalism, dropping to 47% positive this year—lower than in any of the three previous measures.”

To put it differently, and in a way more relevant to the current political climate, Democrats are losing faith in capitalism, not growing more attached to socialism. That matters because of the consequences for both parties. …

From the beginning of the industrial revolution to the onset of the New Deal, socialism thrived as a viable thread in the national politics and as a leading cause of reform. Then the movement was subsumed into the Democratic Party as part of FDR’s grand coalition and has remained there ever since. What’s pushing it back out onto its own is not so much the rise of Sanders as it is the failures of Obama. …

Or at least if someone else was paying the bills. Which, when you boil it down, is one of the things most wrong with socialism. As Margaret Thatcher once said, “sooner or later you run out of other people’s money.” Just look at Venezuela.

For conservatives who support the free market—a much-improved way to describe capitalism—the trend identified in this latest Gallup survey provides both an opportunity and a warning. 08/18/18 https://www.newsweek.com/capitalism-crisis-america-really-turning-socialist-opinion-1078427

The USA is certainly more socialist than it was a century ago. And yes, there have been increased moves towards socialism by the federal government in the 21st century. Furthermore, we are seeing more media and political support for ‘Democratic Socialists.” We will see if there will be more of a socialist backlash against the Donald Trump presidency in the USA in future elections.

A major tenant of socialism is that the government needs to manage more things and that ‘society’ needs to fund that. Basically, that is the hope. One problem is that the more socialist many nation tends have become, they tend to have less economic production.

Consider Venezuela.

Venezuela is believed to have one of the largest, if not the largest, amount of oil reserves of any nation. Before it became more socialist, it was relatively prosperous. This does not mean that there are no issues with capitalism, but Venezuela was doing better economically than it is doing now.

Earlier this month, Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro admitted that his socialist economic model has “failed”:

Venezuela’s Maduro Admits Socialist Model Has Failed

August 2, 2018

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro admitted that his socialist economic model has “failed” amid food and medicine shortages as well as a failing infrastructure highlighted by Tuesday’s power failure to 80% of Caracas.

Compounding matters is the IMF’s Weimar-topping hyperinflation forecast of 1,000,000% by year end, and a GDP set to plummet 18% this year, as the government continues to simply print money to in hopes of filling the void of what was once the country’s economy.

“The production models we’ve tried so far have failed and the responsibility is ours, mine and yours,” Maduro told his ruling PSUV party congress. “Enough with the whining… we need to produce with or without (outside) aggression, with or without blockades, we need to make Venezuela an economic power.”

“No more whining, I want solutions comrades!”

No word on whether he took a bite of an empanada during his speech while his country starves on the “Maduro diet” – a phrase coined after Venezuela’s notorious food shortages gave rise to mass starvation across the country. Not even the donkeys are safe. …

Venezuela’s industrial sector is operating at just 30% capacity, as illustrated by the farming sector, which now provides just a quarter of national consumption, after providing 75% just a few years ago according to the National Farmers Federation.

This should all make for some interesting debate questions during the next US elections, as Democratic Socialists have become the “new face” of the left. Just don’t ask any questions about economics or logistics… https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-08-01/venezuelas-maduro-admits-socialism-has-failed

Maduro said he will no longer blame the U.S. for his country’s problems.

“Enough of whining,” Maduro said. “You will not see me whining to myself. I do not blame them anymore. You do not see me whining in front of imperialism. Let them attacks us. It is up to us whether to act with aggression or without aggression.”

Venezuela’s economic decline began under former President Hugo Chavez. A country that was once overflowing with revenue from its state-run oil production saw those revenues sharply decline in the past decade as U.S. production increased and global prices fell.

Under Maduro, the crisis worsened. His government has nationalized cement and steel production and taken over operation of private businesses such as supermarket chains and others that provide basic services to its citizens.

But oil revenues still account for 96 percent of the country’s revenues, so as government fails to collect an adequate amount of money from its oil business, it has failed to provide an adequate amount of services for its citizens. …

Almost 1 million Venezuelans have fled hunger and repression by migrating to neighboring Colombia over the past two years. Another roughly 50,000 sought asylum in the United States. Roughly 800 Venezuelan refugees cross the border into Brazil every day. https://www.westernjournal.com/ct/venezuelan-president-finally-admits-that-socialism-is-broken-economy-is-destroyed/

Venezuela’s inflation rate is the highest ever recorded–it even exceeded that of pre-WWII Germany.

Further currency devaluation is even now part of Nicolas Maduro’s proposed solution for Venezuela:

August 18, 2018

Maduro orders 96 percent devaluation in hyperinflation-stricken Venezuela

• “I want the country to recover and I have the formula. Trust me,” Maduro said in a nighttime speech broadcast on state television.
• Economists expressed doubts that Venezuela’s cash-strapped government, which faces U.S. sanctions and has defaulted on its bondholders, would succeed. …

Venezuelans will see their meager salaries further eroded and companies will struggle with major increases to both taxes and the minimum wage, they said.

Amid this aggressive devaluation and monetary expansions due to salaries and bonuses, we are expecting a much more aggressive stage of hyperinflation. All the more so in a context where the elimination of excessive money printing is not credible. The worst of all worlds, said Venezuelan economist Asdrubal Oliveros of consultancy Ecoanalitica.

The International Monetary Fund has predicted that inflation in Venezuela would hit 1 million percent this year. …

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have emigrated by bus across South America in one of the region’s worst migration crises. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/18/maduro-orders-96-percent-devaluation-in-venezuela.html

President Maduro did not lay out all the details on how he hopes to improve Venezuela. But currency devaluation hurts everyone who has savings in the devalued currency.

For the sake of the Venezuelans, I pray that their lives will be improved.

Humanity’s forms of socialism have not brought utopia.

Venezuela, and the rest of the world, needs the Kingdom of God (watch also Millennial Utopia).

10th Century Representation of Acts’ Writer Luke

COGwriter

The Continuing Church of God is pleased to announce its latest sermon which is at its ContinuingCOG channel:

1:12:38

Acts 20-22: James, Sunday, and Prejudice

This is the seventh part of a nine-part sermon series covering the entire Book of Acts. In this sermon, Paul’s travels, not listening to God’s Holy Spirit, seeing James, and his arrest in Jerusalem are covered. A discussion of the Holy Days, Sabbath, and Sunday is included. Also, Jewish and anti-Jewish prejudice is covered. The topics of circumcision and Paul’s legal use of his dual citizenship are also discussed. Aspects of church governance, prophets and prophetesses, and the gospel of the Kingdom of God were covered, as were those unfaithful in Asia (Ephesus). Dr. Thiel reads each verse of chapters 20 through 22 of the Book of Acts and ties various of those in with matter affecting Christians in the 21st century.

Here is a link to the seventh part of this sermon series: Acts 20-22: James, Sunday, and Prejudice.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

ACTS Here is an article: The Book of Acts. Here is a link to related sermons: Book of Acts 1-2: Jesus Left, New Testament Church Began, Acts 3-5: Miracles, Trials, Proclamation, and Persecution, Acts 6-9: Widows, Stephen, Saul, and Simon Magus, Acts 10-12: Visions, Dreams, and Gentiles, and Acts 13-16: Prophets, Poisoning, and Proclamation, Acts 17-19: Travels, Anointed Cloths, & the Gospel of the Kingdom, and Acts 20-22: James, Sunday, and Prejudice..
Jesus: The Son of God and Saviour Who was Jesus? Why did He come to earth? What message did He bring? Is there evidence outside the Bible that He existed? Here is a YouTube sermon titled Jesus: Son of God and Saviour.
MATTHEW Here are links to twelve sermons covering the 28 chapters of Matthew: Matthew 1-2: Greek or Aramaic, Jesus, and the Star?, Matthew 3-5: John the Baptist, Temptations, and the Beatitudes, Matthew 6-7: Charitable Deeds, the Rosary, Prayer, the Golden Rule, and Faith, Matthew 8-10: Married Clergy, Faith, Coming Persecution, and the Ecumenical Agenda, Matthew 11-12: John the Elijah, Sodom, Unpardonable Sin, & 3 Days and 3 Nights, -14: Parables, Mustard Seeds, Birthdays, and Faith, Matthew 15-16: Tradition, Signs of the Times, and The Rock & Peter, Matthew 17-18: Transfiguration, Elijah to Come, Taxes, and Forgiveness, Matthew 19-20: Transgender? Divorce? Purgatory? The first shall be last?, Matthew 21-23: ‘Palm Sunday,’ Come as You Are?, and the Greatest Commandments, Matthew 24: Temple Destruction, Sorrows, Tribulation, and the Return of Jesus, and Matthew 25-28: Midnight Cry, False Christians, Resurrection, & Teaching what Jesus Taught.
MARK Here is a link to a sermon covering all of Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Mark: What did Jesus teach in the Book of Mark? Here is a link to six sermons covering all the verses in the Gospel of Mark: Mark 1-2: Author, Prophecy, & Miracles, Mark 3-5: Healing, Demons, and Parables, Mark 6-9: Tradition, John’s beheading, Elijah, and Restoration, Mark 10-12: Marriage, Divorce, Needle Eye, Greatest Command, & Taxes, Mark 13: Temple, Four Horsemen, Troubles, Great Tribulation, and Gospel Proclamation, and Mark 14-16: Jesus’ Priorities & Betrayal, the Resurrection, Signs, and Reaching the World.
LUKE Here are links to eight sermons covering the entire ‘Gospel of Luke’: Luke 1-2: John the Baptist, Mary, and the Census, Luke 3-6: John the Baptist, Jesus’ genealogy, Satan’s Influence, and the Sermon on the Mount, Luke 7-9: Miracles, Purpose of Parables, Kingdom of God, and Women Supporting the Ministry, Luke 10-11: The 70, Doing the Work, the Good Samaritan, Prayer, and Signs, Luke 12-13: Priorities, Delayed Fruit Bearing, Little Flock, Prophecy, and the Narrow Way, Luke 14-16: The Lost Sheep, the Prodigal Son, the Rich Man and Lazarus, Luke 17-20: Faith, the Kingdom, Gathering, Prayer, & Rewards, and Luke 21-22: Giving, Sorrows, Persecution, Tribulation, Fig Tree, and Violence. The last sermon also covers Jesus’ words in the Book of Acts.
JOHN Here are links to a seven-part sermon series covering the entire ‘Gospel of John’: John 1-3: Anti-unitarian, Wine, Being Born Again, & Heaven, John 4-6: Jesus and the Samaritan Woman, Miracles and the Bread of Life, John 10-12: Sheep, Hirelings, Lazarus/Soul Sleep and ‘Palm Day’, John 13-15: Footwashing and the Words of Jesus, John 16-18: Truth, Trinity, and Pontius Pilate, and John 19-21: Do not only try, do what God wants.
How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God There are many false prophets. How can Christians determine who is a true prophet? There is also a sermon-length video titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God. Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Cómo determinar si alguien es un verdadero profeta de Dios?
Persecutions by Church and State This article documents some that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied to occur. Will those with the cross be the persecutors or the persecuted–this article has the shocking answer. There is also a YouTube video sermon you can watch: The Coming Persecution of the Church. Here is information in the Spanish language: Persecuciones de la Iglesia y el Estado.
Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God How has God used dreams in the past? Does God still use dreams? Did He use any involving those in the Continuing Church of God? Here is a link in Spanish: Sueños, la Biblia, la Iglesia de Dios de la Radio, y la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. A related sermon is also available: Dreams, COGs, and One Man Rule.
God’s Grace is For All Is being Jewish a hindrance to salvation? What about not being a descendant of Israel? What does the Bible really teach? Here is a link to a related sermon titled Race and Grace; Do you view race as God does?
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert W. Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert W. Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and Herbert W. Armstrong expect from lower level leaders? Two related sermons are available The Work per HWA and the Bible and Priority of the Philadelphia Work.
Preparing for the ‘Short Work’ and The Famine of the Word What is the ‘short work’ of Romans 9:28? Who is preparing for it? Here is a link to a related video sermon titled: The Short Work.
The Final Phase of the Work What is the final phase of the work? Who will lead it? Do you have the courage to support it? Here is a related YouTube video titled The Final Phase of the Work. The written article has been translated into Spanish La Fase Final de la Obra.
Is God Calling You? This is a booklet discussing calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond?
Christians: Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, Biblical instructions on living as a Christian This is a scripture-filled booklet for those wishing to live as a real Christian. A related sermon is also available: Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God.
The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast This is a free draft/unedited pdf book explaining the what the Ten Commandments are, where they came from, how early professors of Christ viewed them, and how various ones, including the Beast of Revelation, will oppose them. A related sermon is titled: The Ten Commandments and the Beast of Revelation.
Prayer: What Does the Bible Teach? This free booklet contains 28 biblically-based tips on improving the effectiveness of your prayers. This is a pdf. A related two part sermon is available: What Does the Bible Teach About Prayer? and What does the Bible Teach About Prayer (& Healing)?
Should You Keep God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? This is a free pdf booklet explaining what the Bible and history shows about God’s Holy Days and popular holidays. A related sermon is Which Spring Days should Christians observe?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
CCOG.ORG Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God. There are links to literature is about 100 different languages there. To see how CCOG has done so far, here are links to two sermons Continuing Church of God (CCOG) first year anniversary: What has been accomplished? and CCOG: Four Years Revealing Philadelphia? Here is a written link to a version of that first sermon in the Spanish language: Aniversario del primer año de la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios: ¿Qué se ha cumplido?
Congregations of the Continuing Church of God This is a listing of congregations and groups of the Continuing Church of God around the world.
Continuing Church of God Facebook page This has news and prophetic information.
CCOG.ASIA We in the Continuing Church of God also have the url www.ccog.asia which has a focus on Asia and has various articles in Mandarin Chinese as well as some in English, plus some items in other Asian languages. 我们在继续神的教会也提供此网址 www.ccog.asia, 关注于亚洲并且有各种各样的中英文文章，其中一些用菲律宾语翻译的文章也正在进行中，准备添加到这个网站中。 Here is a link to our Statement of Beliefs in Mandarin Chinese 继续神的教会的信仰声明.
CCOG.IN This is a website targeted towards those of Indian heritage. It has a link to an edited Hindi translation of The Mystery of the Ages and is expected to have more non-English language materials in the future.
CCOG.EU This is a website targeted toward Europe. It has materials in more than one language (currently it has English, Dutch, and Serbian, with links also to Spanish) and it is intended to have additional language materials added.
CCOG.NZ This is a website targeted towards New Zealand and others with a British-descended background.
CCOGAFRICA.ORG This is a website targeted towards those in Africa.
CCOGCANADA.CA This is a website targeted towards those in Canada.
CDLIDD.ES La Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. This is the Spanish language website for the Continuing Church of God.
PNIND.PH Patuloy na Iglesya ng Diyos. This is the Philippines website Continuing Church of God. It has information in English and Tagalog.
CCOG Animations channel. The Continuing Church of God has some animations to teach aspects of Christian beliefs.
CCOGAfrica channel. This has messages from African pastors in African languages such as Kalenjin, Kiswahili, Embu, and Dholuo.
BibleNewsProphecy Podcast. This has audio-visual podcasts of the Bible News Prophecy channgel. It plays on i-Phones, i-Pads, and Windows devices that can play i-Tunes.
Bible News Prophecy online radio. This is an audio version of the Bible News Prophecy videos. It is also available as a mobile app.
Bible News Prophecy channel. Dr. Thiel has produced many YouTube sermonette videos for the BibleNewsProphecy channel. And you can find them there.
ContinuingCOG channel. Dr. Thiel has produced scores of YouTube video sermons for this channel. Note: Since these are sermon-length, they can take a little longer to load than other YouTube videos.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

COGwriter

NPR reported the following:

August 17, 2018

The U.S. is threatening further sanctions against Turkey if it does not quickly release American pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been detained by the Turkish government for nearly two years. The diplomatic spat is also taking a toll on Turkey’s currency, the lira.  …

With his relationship with the U.S. on the rocks, Erdogan has worked to strengthen his alliances in Europe and the Middle East. Last week, Erdogan wrote, “Washington must give up the misguided notion that our relationship can be asymmetrical and come to terms with the fact that Turkey has alternatives.”

Erdogan has recently held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. And on Sept. 28, Germany will host Erdogan for a state visit.

His efforts have also found some success in the Middle East. https://www.npr.org/2018/08/17/639511112/u-s-threatens-further-sanctions-against-turkey-over-detained-pastor

Is there any possibility that what is happening with Turkey could lead to the rise of the Beast of Revelation 13:1-10?

Yes.

Notice the following report from Newsweek:

Will Turkey’s Currency Crisis Send Millions of Refugees Into Europe and Threaten Merkel’s Fragile Coalition?

The Turkish economic crisis has been worsened by an ongoing diplomatic dispute between the U.S. and Turkey over the imprisonment of American pastor Andrew Brunson. President Donald Trump has lashed out at Erdogan over the pastor’s imprisonment and hit Turkey with sanctions.

If Turkey is financially incapable of supporting incoming migrants, Europe could see another wave of migration, observers note. That could have major political consequences for politicians like German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is already fighting an internal political battle with her coalition partners over how to control migration to Germany. 08/15/18 https://www.newsweek.com/will-turkeys-economic-crisis-send-millions-refugees-europe-and-threaten-1074914

Europe will not want millions more refugees coming in.

Should that happen, expect Europe to take steps.

The Bible warns that Europe will reorganize and give power (Revelation 17:12-13) to a militaristic dictator  (Revelation 13:1-4).

Releasing millions of refugees from Turkey, which I do not expect at this immediate time, could do that.

The Bible also shows that the Europeans will be pulled into one or more deals with the Arab and Turkish peoples (Psalm 83:2-8; Daniel 11:27)–and possibly a side deal with Turkey (cf. Daniel 11:26; see also Turkey in Prophecy). Things are going to change in Europe.

Could the Turkey situation be a factor in the lessening of importance of the US dollar?

Yes.

Our latest video mentions that:

US Sanctions and Tariffs leading to New World Order?

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said new US sanctions would be a declaration of economic war. Iran, North Korea, China, Europe, and Turkey are also upset about USA sanctions and tariffs. A Turk asserted “Somebody must find a solution and stop the USA.” The BRICS nations see US sanctions and tariffs as helpful to their objectives to trade without the USA. Are “unintended consequences” of USA policies threatening the current Anglo-American world order and leading to a New World Order? What has ‘Lord’ Jacob Rothschild and Russian President Vladimir Putin stated? Does Bible prophecy say that a confederation of Turks, Arabs, and Europeans pose a real threat to the USA and UK? Is the final time of the Gentiles coming? Will it be worse than people imagine? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more.

The USA and its dollar will one day be destroyed (see also Psalm 83:2-8 and Daniel 11:39).

But can Turkey possibly be a factor in the US dollar’s decline?

Notice something from the German press

US dollar on its way out as world’s lead currency?

If the stability of a currency is entirely linked to the confidence in the issuer of the currency, then it does not look good for the US dollar. In Washington, US President Donald Trump appears to be busy fighting against the rest of the world.

His administration has kick-started a fierce trade conflict with China and other countries by slapping on tariffs and engaging in protectionist rhetoric.

In recent weeks, Trump has also picked quarrels with Russia and Turkey. But the two are striking back by hitting Washington where it hurts. Both Moscow and Ankara are questioning the global role of the US dollar. …

The US Federal Reserve has always supported the dollar’s role as the leader of the world’s currencies and provided sufficient liquidity, which has been a factor in ensuring its dominance. …

Russia and Turkey have announced that they want to return to national currencies in international trade — they want to avoid the detour via the dollar.

If other countries agree, the dollar could become less dominant in global trade in future, say some observers. 08/16/18 https://www.dw.com/en/us-dollar-on-its-way-out-as-worlds-lead-currency/a-45111800

The Europeans, Venezuelans, and Iranians are also upset about USA sanctions as well as trade policies.

Many US policies are pushing the Gentile nations to come up with something that the USA will not like.

While the USA may seem to be ‘winning’ in aspects of this for now, that will change. Even if it gets Andrew Brunson out.

The world is getting more and more upset with USA policies. Europe will make deals with Russia and China and others.

Even the impact from Turkey may help lead to this.

The USA will not survive what will be coming (cf. Daniel 11:39), probably next decade (see Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End?).

COGwriter

Freedom of speech and expression on Facebook? Well, notice that all speech is not treated the same:

Social media platforms that once facilitated the free exchange of ideas and information are now actively seeking to silence and censor conservative opinions.

This new Orwellian impulse that is taking over Big Tech is particularly problematic because social media websites, which are supposed to be safe spaces for all free speech, get special legal perks.

Under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, websites such as Facebook and Twitter are not treated as publishers of “information provided by another” — which would subject them to libel laws and other headaches publishers have to deal with — because they “offer a forum for a true diversity of political discourse.”

This means social media platforms are not merely private companies who can censor whomever they wish — They are considered, by law, to be public forums that allow free and open debate.

Yet, they’re doing the exact opposite. They are stifling online speech, warping the national discourse, and obstructing the free flow of ideas. Big Tech is not just biased against conservatives — it is actively trying to silence them and deprive them of online platforms.

Big Tech’s bias was on full display recently when conservative activist Candace Owens was suspended from Twitter for satirical tweets mimicking the racist, anti-white tweets of New York Times editorial board member Sarah Jeong — who has never been suspended from Twitter despite a history of racist comments. …

Facebook is infamous for its lopsided application of its “community standards.” Conservative content is regularly removed from the site while vile, often violent, radical left-wing content is left alone. …

A study found that while liberal publishers saw a roughly 2 percent increase in web traffic from Facebook following the algorithm changes, conservative ones saw a loss of traffic averaging around 14 percent.

Big Tech’s anti-conservative bias is positively institutional. Facebook, Google (YouTube), and Twitter all work with the Southern Poverty Law Center, a far-left organization with a proven track record of anti-conservative bias, to decide what is and isn’t “hate speech.”

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Big Tech is set to return to its free speech roots anytime soon. 08/16/18 https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/brad-parscale-big-tech-is-becoming-big-brother

The censorship and bias of ‘social media companies’ is becoming more and more prevalent.

FWIW, when I read Facebook’s ‘Community Standards’ before I found nothing about restriction of religious or conservative speech. But, perhaps they define words differently than I or the dictionary do.

As far as being Orwellian goes, in his book 1984, George Orwell describes a society that changes the definition of words as well as restricts freedom of expression. The book called that “newspeak.” Today, what is called “political correctness” is similar.

The 1984 book also describes a militarized police state.

Notice that, too, is becoming accepted. Notice the following:

Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much for the American people to march in lockstep with the government’s dictates, even if it means submitting to martial law, having their homes searched, and being stripped of one’s constitutional rights at a moment’s notice.

In Charlottesville, most of the community fell in line, except for one gun-toting, disabled, 71-year-old war veteran who was arrested for purchasing cans of Arizona iced tea, a can of bug spray and razor blades, all of which were on the City’s list of temporarily prohibited, potentially “dangerous” items. Incidentally, the veteran’s guns (not among the list of prohibited items) caused no alarm.

Talk about draconian.

This continual undermining of the rules that protect civil liberties will inevitably have far-reaching consequences on a populace that not only remains ignorant about their rights but is inclined to sacrifice their liberties for phantom promises of safety.

Be warned: these lockdowns are just a precursor to full-blown martial law.

The powers-that-be want us acclimated to the sights and sounds of a city-wide lockdown with tanks in the streets, military encampments in cities, Blackhawk helicopters and armed drones patrolling overhead.

They want us to accept the fact that in the American police state, we are all potentially guilty, all potential criminals, all suspects waiting to be accused of a crime.

They want us to be meek and submissive.

They want us to report on each other.

They want us to be grateful to the standing armies for their so-called protection.

They want us to self-censor our speech, self-limit our movements, and police ourselves.

As Glenn Greenwald notes in The Intercept:

“Americans are now so accustomed to seeing police officers decked in camouflage and Robocop-style costumes, riding in armored vehicles and carrying automatic weapons first introduced during the U.S. occupation of Baghdad, that it has become normalized… The dangers of domestic militarization are both numerous and manifest. To begin with… it degrades the mentality of police forces in virtually every negative way and subjects their targeted communities to rampant brutality and unaccountable abuse… Police militarization also poses grave and direct dangers to basic political liberties, including rights of free speech, press and assembly.”

Make no mistake: these are the hallmarks of a military occupation. 08/16/18 https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/from_boston_to_ferguson_to_charlottesville_the_evolution_of_a_police_state_lockdown

Those who never thought that restrictions of free speech or the development of a police state could ever happen in the USA should be realizing that the beginnings of such are already in place there. People like Donald Trump are not preventing this from happening.

But more restrictions are coming.

11 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God,
“That I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread,
Nor a thirst for water,
But of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea,
And from north to east;
They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord,
But shall not find it. (Amos 8:11-12)

Notice that the Bible tells of a time that will come when the word of God will not be found. And that would seem to be because truth from it will be taken off the internet. In the 21st century, the internet is accessed by people in every country, and thus some type of internet restriction/suspension/site removal is coming.

Related to this part of Amos, in a sermon on November 27, 1982 titled “U.S. of Europe is Coming,” Herbert W. Armstrong stated:

“Anyway this whole United States of Europe, when it goes together, is going to trigger nuclear World War III. Now let me tell you what else it’s going to do. It’s going to END OUR WORK! OUR WORK WILL BE THROUGH of getting the gospel to the world. That is, very shortly after it goes into force and effect; because they will move in such a way that it will end it. And then I’ll tell you what will happen. As you read here in Amos, the 8th chapter and verse 11 of Amos. Amos 8:11 ‘Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread … but of hearing the word of the LORD.’ ” (http://cog-ff.com/html/pcomments_07_04_08.html, viewed 10/03/13)

In a November 22, 1982 co-worker letter, Herbert Armstrong wrote:

… brethren and co-workers, the prophesied Great Tribulation (nuclear World War III) will start soon after the European unification. That means OUR WORK OF SPREADING THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD WILL BE FINISHED! We have not now much more time. Soon shall come a FAMINE of hearing the Word of the Lord (Amos 8:11). God says, work while it is day, for the night is coming when no man can work – in the Work of God! Nothing else is important in our lives, now, but this all-important Work of God. (http://cog-ff.com/html/pcomments_07_04_08.html, viewed 10/03/13)

So, the Bible tells of a time that will come when the word of God will not be found. And that would seem to be because it will be taken off the internet. In the 21st century, the internet is accessed by people in every country, and thus some type of internet restriction/suspension/site removal is coming. We have already seen ‘social media’ companies doing some of this.

Furthermore, there will be governmental restrictions related to teaching what the Bible teaches. Groups, like the Continuing Church of God, will be censored for teaching what the Bible says should be taught!

More censorship is coming. A totalitarian police state is also coming (Revelation 13).

That is part of why we in the Continuing Church of God are preparing for the ‘short work’ (Romans 9:28) and the coming ‘famine of the word.’

In time, the ‘famine of word’ will hit. But Jesus’ message of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God will reach the world as a witness.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Preparing for the ‘Short Work’ and The Famine of the Word What is the ‘short work’ of Romans 9:28? Who is preparing for it? Here is a link to a related video sermon titled: The Short Work.
Internet Censorship and Prophecy Are concerns about internet censorship limited to nations such as Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. But what about the USA, Canada, and Germany? What about the European Union? What about internet media companies such as Facebook, Google, YouTube, or email services like MailChimp? Has the attempt to control information been made by various ones over the centuries? Was the New Testament affected by it? What about the church throughout the centuries? Has the Bible already been partially censored? Which Bible prophecies point to coming Internet censorship? What about the Book of Amos? What about the coming 666 Beast and final Antichrist? Is there anything that can be done about this? Should Philadelphian Christians be working on anything now? Will preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God vs. a highly media-supported alternative lead to a ‘famine of the word’? More internet censorship is coming as various statements in the Bible support.
The Spanish Inquisition and Early Protestant Persecutions Was the Church of Rome really responsible for this? What happened? Here is a link to a related video sermon: The Past and Future Inquisition.
Persecutions by Church and State This article documents some that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied to occur. Will those with the cross be the persecutors or the persecuted–this article has the shocking answer. There is also a YouTube video sermon you can watch: The Coming Persecution of the Church. Here is information in the Spanish language: Persecuciones de la Iglesia y el Estado.
Orwell’s 1984 by 2024? In 1949, the late George Orwell wrote a disturbing book about a totalitarian government called “nineteen-eighty four.” Despite laws that are supposed to protect freedom of speech and religion, we are seeing governments taking steps consistent with those that George Orwell warned against. We are also seeing this in the media, academia, and in private companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter. With the advent of technology, totalitarianism beyond what Orwell wrote is possible. Does the Bible teach the coming a totalitarian state similar to George Orwell’s? What about the Antichrist and 666? Will things get worse? What is the solution? Dr. Thiel answers these questions and more in this video.
Canadian censoring of the Bible In 2017, Lauri Skori of the Battle River School board told a religious school in Alberta, Canada that it could not teach/read certain portions of the Bible. In 2002, a court in Canada ruled against one who referred to certain scriptures that some homosexuals objected to. In 2017, there was “An Act to Amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code” related to those who wish to be considered transgendered. Government officials in Canada and elsewhere have been ruling against the Bible. Is any of this prophesied? Will this get worse? What was the prophet Amos inspired to write? This is a video.
Internet Control, Famine of the Word, and 666 Is the internet going to be used to suppress the teaching of the word of God?
Cross-dressing and other assaults against your children. What should you do? Is there an agenda to turn your children and/or grandchildren away from biblical morality and towards practices promoted by homosexuals? What does the Bible teach about cross-dressing? What should parents do? If there is an agenda, what has been going on? There are also three YouTube videos related to this, titled Transgender ‘Woe to those who call evil good’ and Cross dressing and Other Assaults Against Your Children and USA pushing gender confusion.
The Bible Condemns Homosexuality “Same-sex marriage” for “gays” and lesbians is becoming more acceptable to many. What does the Bible teach about homosexuality? Can homosexuals change? A related video sermon is titled: What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality?
Pornography: A scourge on society Is pornography harmless fun? Does the Bible teach anything about it? What are the views of some involved with it? A related sermons is titled: Pornography, False Comfort, and False Religion. Here a shorter YouTube video Pornography: Harmless Fun or a Scourge on Society?
Abortion, the Bible, and a Woman’s Right to Choose Do you know what the Bible teaches on this? Has the Roman Catholic Church allowed abortions? What about the real Church of God? Some may also, or instead, wish to view the YouTube video Abortion, the Bible, and US Debt.
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? A related sermon is also available titled: Real Christian Repentance.
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert W. Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert W. Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and Herbert W. Armstrong expect from lower level leaders? A related sermon is available titled Priority of the Philadelphia Work.
Persecutions by Church and State This article documents some that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied to occur. Will those with the cross be the persecutors or the persecuted–this article has the shocking answer. There is also a YouTube video sermon you can watch: The Coming Persecution of the Church. Here is information in the Spanish language: Persecuciones de la Iglesia y el Estado.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Is God Calling You? This is a draft booklet discussing calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond?
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. A related sermon is titled: Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be Barack Obama and the State of the Apocalypse.
Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2017, 2018, or 2019? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2016 o 2017? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter video is: Will the Great Tribulation Start in 2017?
The Spanish Inquisition and Early Protestant Persecutions Was the Church of Rome really responsible for this? What happened? Here is a link to a related video sermon: The Past and Future Inquisition.
Banning the Bible? Could we see a ban of the Holy Bible in North America? Have there been partial bans proposed and enforced by government officials in Canada? Do any USA politicians consider any biblical teachings as fraudulent and hence banning them is NOT a violation of the 1st amendment to the Constitution of the USA? Are there risks associated with AB 2943? Have politicians like Hillary Clinton and California Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi called for long-held religious beliefs to change and “evolve with the times”? What about Jude 1:3 and 2 Timothy 3:14? Are there biblical prophecies about not being able to hear the word of God? Might we see more restrictions on explaining teachings of the Bible on the Internet and other forms of media? What are some of the verses that various government people do not want made public? Dr. Thiel provides facts on these issues and more.
Donald Trump in Prophecy Prophecy, Donald Trump? Are there prophecies that Donald Trump may fulfill?  Are there any prophecies that he has already helped fulfill?  Is a Donald Trump presidency proving to be apocalyptic?  Two related videos are available: Donald: ‘Trump of God’ or Apocalyptic? and Donald Trump’s Prophetic Presidency.
Trump Presidency Magic 8 Ball or Bible Prophecy? BBC reported that one might as well use a ‘Magic Eight-Ball’ to try to predict what will happen in the remaining time of Donald Trump’s presidency. What is a ‘Magic Eight-Ball’? Dr. Thiel not only explains that, but also briefly goes over 10 biblically-based warnings he wrote would happen if Donald Trump were elected that have already began to come to pass. He also goes over something he wrote back in 2008 that the Trump presidency is also helping lead to fulfillment. Should you trust Bible prophecy or not? Dr. Thiel says that Bible prophecy can be trusted, despite the view of skeptics and others that either overlook or despise the Bible. This is a video.
Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse This 188 page book is for people truly interested in prophecies related to Donald Trump and the United States, including learning about several that have already been fulfilled and those that will be fulfilled in the future. The physical book can be purchased at Amazon for $12.99 from the following link: Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse.
Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse-Kindle Edition This electronic version of the 188 page print edition is available for only US$3.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse-Kindle Edition.

Herbert W. Armstrong and Martin Luther

COGwriter

Most people are familiar with the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther. And most people who come to this COGwriter Church of God News page regularly are familiar with the late COG leader Herbert W. Armstrong.

While both men had issues in their personal lives, I would like to highlight a couple of their doctrinal/theological similarities and a couple of doctrinal differences.

Ten Commandments

Regarding the Ten Commandments, Martin Luther claimed that:

God threatens to punish all who break these commandments…Therefore, we should also love and trust in Him and gladly do what He commands” (Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation. Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, 1986, p.12).

The fruits of this sin are afterwards the evil deeds which are forbidden in the Ten Commandments…we hold that the Law was given by God, first, to restrain sin by threats and the dread of punishment, and by the promise and offer of grace and benefit (Luther Martin. The Smallclad Papers. 1537. Translated by F. Bente and W. H. T. Dau Published in: _Triglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Ev. Lutheran Church_. (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921), pp. 453-529).

…teach them first of all these articles, namely the ten commandments…But as for those that will not learn, let them be told that they deny Christ and are no Christians…(Luther M. The Short Catechism, 1529. Cited in Bettenson H, ed., Documents of the Christian Church. London: Oxford University Press, 1943, p. 225).

Furthermore, the Christian Questions and Their Answers section of that book states (it is unclear if Martin Luther actually wrote that section, though it is ascribed to him):

“1. Do you believe that you are a sinner? Yes, I believe it, I am a sinner. 2. How do you know this? From the Ten Commandments, which I have not kept…The Ten Commandments are the law of God” (Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation. Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, 1986. pp.39-40,53).

Martin Luther wrote,

…whoever wishes to know and to do good works needs nothing else than to know God’s commandments. Thus Christ says, Matthew xix, “If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” And when the young man asks Him, Matthew xix, what he shall do that he may inherit eternal life, Christ sets before him naught else but the Ten Commandments (Luther M. Treatise on Good Works, March 29, 1520).

For even if a Moses had never appeared and Abraham had never been born, the Ten Commandments would have had to rule in all men from the very beginning, as they indeed did and still do (Luther, M. Against the Sabbatarians:Letter to a Good Friend, Part II, 1538).

Similarly, Herbert Armstrong taught,

“The ten commandments were first made known to ADAM in the Garden of Eden…We read the answer in Romans 5:12, ‘Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and DEATH BY SIN; so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.’ And in verse fourteen, ‘Death reigned FROM ADAM TO MOSES’. ‘Sin is NOT imputed when there is NO law,’ you read in the 13th verse. Yet sin was imputed because death did reign from Adam to Moses. There must then have been a law from Adam’s time…What is sin? Is there a BIBLE definition? Is there any place in the Bible where it says, “Sin is . . . and then follows the definition? The answer is in 1 John 3:4, ‘Sin is the transgression of the law.’ ” (Armstrong, H. Were the TEN COMMANDMENTS in force before Moses? Circa 1956).

An article of related interest may be The Ten Commandments and the Early Church. A free online booklet is also available: The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast.

State of the Dead

They even had similarities on the state of the dead.

The immediate cause of Luther’s stand on the sleep of the soul was the issue of purgatory, with its postulate of the conscious torment of anguished souls. While Luther is not always consistent, the predominant note running all through his writings is that souls sleep in peace, without consciousness or pain. The Christian dead are not aware of anything—see not, feel not, understand not, and are not conscious of passing events. Luther held and periodically stated that in the sleep of death, as in normal physical sleep, there is complete unconsciousness and unawareness of the condition of death or the passage of time.† Death is a deep, sound, sweet sleep.‡ And the dead will remain asleep until the day of resurrection (Martin Luther and William Tyndale on the State of the Dead pp. 571-572).

Martin Luther specifically taught:

It is probable, in my opinion, that, with very few exceptions indeed, the dead sleep in utter insensibility till the day of judgment… On what authority can it be said that the souls of the dead may not sleep out the interval between earth and heaven… (Luther M. Translated by W. Hazlitt. The life of Luther written by himself. M. Michelet, ed. Bohn’s Standard Library. G. Bell, 1904, p. 133).

Herbert Armstrong taught,

“The Bible teaching contrary to much religious and church teaching – that is the WORD OF GOD teaching – is that the dead ARE DEAD – utterly unconscious. Notice the inspired wisdom of Solomon: “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything…” – the RSV translates it “the dead KNOW NOTHING” (Eccl.9:5)… I Corinthians 15:49: “And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall [future – resurrection] also bear the image of the heavenly” (verse 49). As we are now flesh, we shall be SPIRIT – at the resurrection, that is, when we shall be “BORN AGAIN” – when we shall see, enter into, the Kingdom of God – when we are Spirit – at the resurrection! ‘Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot Inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep [be dead], but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we [the then living] shall be changed (verses 50-52)’” (Armstrong HW. Incredible Human Potential. Chapter 12).

While some criticize this teaching and call it “soul sleep”, it was held by the earliest Christians. Please check out the article Did Early Christians Believe that Humans Possessed Immortality?

Both men had a lot of dissimilarities, personal and professional. But, this article will not focus on personal dissimilarities, but rather on a few of the doctrinal dissimilarities. Because, from the perspective of biblical truth, those are the primary dissimilarities which should count.

Is the Bible Fallible? Does the Bible Contradict Itself?

Martin Luther seems to think so as he wrote about the Book of James,

In the first place it is flatly against St. Paul and all the rest of Scripture in ascribing justification to works. It says that Abraham was justified by his works when he offered his son Isaac; though in Romans 4 St. Paul teaches to the contrary that Abraham was justified apart from works, by his faith alone, before he had offered his son, and proves it by Moses in Genesis 15…But this James does nothing more than drive to the law and to its works. Besides, he throws things together so chaotically that it seems to me he must have been some good, pious man, who took a few sayings from the disciples of the apostles and thus tossed them off on paper. Or it may perhaps have been written by someone on the basis of his preaching. He calls the law a ‘law of liberty’, though Paul calls it a law of slavery, of wrath, of death, and of sin (Luther, M. Preface to the Epistles of St. James and St. Jude, 1546; originally 1522).

As the following quotes show, Martin Luther did not care for several books in the Old Testament either:

Job spoke not as it stands written in his book, but only had such thoughts. It is merely the argument of a fable. It is probable that Solomon wrote and made this book…Ecclesiastes ought to have been more complete. There is too much incoherent matter in it…Solomon did not, therefore, write this book…I am such an enemy to the book of Esther that I wish it did not exist, for it Judaizes too much…The history of Jonah is so monstrous that it is absolutely incredible. (as quoted in O’Hare, p. 202).

For additional information, please read the article, Sola Scriptura or Prima Luther: What Did Martin Luther Actually Teach about the Bible?

Yet, WCG under Herbert Armstrong taught,

The Bible is true not only scientifically, but historically. Again, though the Bible is not a history book, what ever is mentioned as history in the Bible is always true…Is the Word of God infallible? It certainly is (Is the Bible Infallible? Good News Article – Dec. 1980).

Are All the Books of the New Testament Proper?

Martin Luther had a fairly low view of the Books of Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelation as he wrote,

Up to this point we have had the true and certain chief books of the New Testament. The four which follow have from ancient times had a different reputation. In the first place, the fact that Hebrews is not an epistle of St. Paul, or of any other apostle, is proved by what it says in chapter 2 (Luther, M. Prefaces to the Epistle of the Hebrews, 1546; originally1522).

Martin Luther wrote,

Concerning the epistle of St. Jude, no one can deny that it is an extract or copy of St. Peter’s second epistle, so very like it are all the words. He also speaks of the apostles like a disciple who comes long after them and cites sayings and incidents that are found nowhere else in the Scriptures. This moved the ancient fathers to exclude this epistle from the main body of the Scriptures. Moreover the Apostle Jude did not go to Greek-speaking lands, but to Persia, as it is said, so that he did not write Greek. Therefore, although I value this book, it is an epistle that need not be counted among the chief books which are supposed to lay the foundations of faith (Luther, M. Preface to the Epistles of St. James and St. Jude, 1546; originally 1522).

Martin Luther taught,

Which are the true and noblest books of the New Testament? From all this you can now judge all the books and decide among them which are the best. John’s Gospel and St. Paul’s epistles, especially that to the Romans, and St. Peter’s first epistle are the true kernel and marrow of all the books…Therefore John’s Gospel is the one, fine, true, and chief gospel, and is far, far to be preferred over the other three and placed high above them. So, too, the epistles of St. Paul and St. Peter far surpass the other three gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In a word St. John’s Gospel and his first epistle, St. Paul’s epistles, especially Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians, and St. Peter’s first epistle are the books that show you Christ and teach you all that is necessary and salvatory for you to know, even if you were never to see or hear any other book or doctrine. Therefore St. James’ epistle is really an epistle of straw, compared to these others, for it has nothing of the nature of the gospel about it (Luther, M. Prefaces to the New Testament. LW 35:357-362, 394-399 Preface to the New Testament, 1546; originally 1522).

Under Herbert Armstrong, WCG taught,

The Bible is true not only scientifically, but historically. Again, though the Bible is not a history book, what ever is mentioned as history in the Bible is always true…Is the Word of God infallible? It certainly is” (Is the Bible Infallible? Good News Article – Dec. 1980).

” ‘To bind up’ comes from the Hebrew word meaning ‘to complete.’ The apostles were used ‘to complete’ the testimony of Jesus Christ. The New Testament Church has “the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 12:17). It was also through Jesus’ disciples that God’s seal of approval was placed on those laws which are eternally binding on Christians. Yes, we can know! The Bible is COMPLETE! Not one book of the Bible has been lost. Not one is missing. The books of the Bible as you find them in your King James Version constitute the complete Bible! (Do We Have The COMPLETE BIBLE? Copyright 1959, 1974 Ambassador College).

Two articles of possibly related interest may be The Old Testament Canon and The New Testament Canon – From the Bible Itself.

It may be of interest to also realize that while Martin Luther wrote, “John’s Gospel is the one, fine, true, and chief gospel, and is far, far to be preferred over the other three and placed high above them”, he (unlike HWA) ignored much of what it taught. The plain truth is that much of the Gospel According to John had to do with two holy day seasons: the final Passover season (Chapters 13-21) and one particular Feast of Tabernacles‘ season (Chapters 7-9)–times that Martin Luther did not observe like the original Christians did, but that Herbert Armstrong did.

Baptism of Infants/Children

“Why are babies to be baptized? A. Babies are to baptized because they are included in the words ‘all nations’ (Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation. Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, 1986, p.202).

Furthermore, Martin Luther got these statements confirmed,

Article IX: Of Baptism. Of Baptism they teach that it is necessary to salvation, and that through Baptism is offered the grace of God, and that children are to be baptized who, being offered to God through Baptism are received into God’s grace. They condemn the Anabaptists, who reject the baptism of children…Article XII:…They condemn the Anabaptists, who deny that those once justified can lose the Holy Ghost. (The Confession of Faith: Which Was Submitted to His Imperial Majesty Charles V. At the Diet of Augsburg in the Year 1530. by Philip Melanchthon, 1497-1560. Translated by F. Bente and W. H. T. Dau. Published in: Triglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Ev. Lutheran Church. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, pp. 37-95.)

Thus Martin Luther not only encouraged infant baptism, he condemned those who opposed infant baptism.

The Apostle Peter taught, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38) “Then those that gladly received his word were baptized” (Acts 2:42).

Herbert Armstrong taught,

Should Children Be Baptized? One cannot be baptized until after he has fully REPENTED. Only those who BELIEVE, both the true GOSPEL (the Message Jesus preached, which is the Kingdom, or Government of God) and on JESUS CHRIST as personal Saviour, can be baptized (see Acts 2:38; 8:37; 16:31). Children have not reached that maturity where they have the self-discipline to truly repent, and believe (Armstrong H. All About Water Baptism. 1948, 1954, 1972 edition).

There is no recorded instance of any babies being baptized in the Old or New Testaments. An article of related interest may be Baptism and the Early Church.

On October 31, 2017, many will celebrate Martin Luther’s Protestant Reformation, but will not realize that he did not reform to teach the original and true Christian faith. The faith that we stand for in the Continuing Church of God.

Herbert W. Armstrong had many doctrines closer with the teachings of the Bible and early Christianity than Martin Luther did. See also Continuing History of the Church of God.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The Similarities and Dissimilarities between Martin Luther and Herbert W. Armstrong This article clearly shows some of the doctrinal differences between in the two. At this time of doctrinal variety and a tendency by many to accept certain aspects of Protestantism, the article should help clarify why the genuine Church of God is NOT Protestant. Do you really know what the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther taught and should you follow his doctrinal example? Here is a related sermon video: Martin Luther and Herbert Armstrong: Reformers with Differences.
Sola Scriptura or Prima Luther? What Did Martin Luther Really Believe About the Bible? Though he is known for his public sola Scriptura teaching, did Martin Luther’s writings about the Bible suggest he felt that prima Luther was his ultimate authority? Statements from him changing and/or discounting 18 books of the Bible are included. Do you really want to know the truth?
COGwriter Position on Other Churches and Religions What is the fate of those who do not know Christ? What about those who profess Christ outside the Church of God?
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God differ from most Protestants How the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants, is perhaps the question I am asked most by those without a Church of God background. As far as some changes affecting Protestantism, watch the video Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware! Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction! What is going on in the Protestant world? Are Protestants turning back to their ‘mother church’ in Rome? Does the Bible warn about this? What are Catholic plans and prophecies related to this? Is Protestantism doomed? See also World Council of Churches Peace Plan.
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L’Histoire Continue de l’Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE?

COGwriter

A model by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has some concerned about the end of modern civilization:

MIT Computer Model Predicts Dramatic Drop In Quality Of Life To 2020, “End Of Civilization” By 2040

August 16, 2018

A computer model that was originally developed in 1973 by a group of scientists at MIT is warning that things are about to dramatically change.

If the computer predictions are accurate, our standard of living will start to decline dramatically around the year 2020, and we will witness the “end of civilization” around the year 2040.  …

Society is crumbling all around us, and the elements for a “perfect storm” are definitely coming together.

So maybe this computer model is on to something.

The name of the computer program is “World One”, and it was originally created by Jay Forrester…

The prediction came from a programme nicknamed World One, which was developed by a team of MIT researchers and processed by Australia’s largest computer.

It was originally devised by computer pioneer Jay Forrester, after he was tasked by the Club of Rome to develop a model of global sustainability.

However, the shocking result of the computer calculations showed that the level of pollution and population would cause a global collapse by 2040.

The fact that the Club of Rome was behind Jay Forrester’s work is a major red flag, because David Rockefeller and other globalists founded the Club of Rome and it has always been used to further the globalist agenda.

Could it be possible that this computer model is a glimpse into the kind of future that the globalists believe is coming?

According to the model, life as we know it is about to change in a massive way…

At this time the broadcasters addreses the audience: “At around 2020, the condition of the planet becomes highly critical.

“If we do nothing about it, the quality of life goes down to zero. Pollution becomes so seriously it will start to kill people, which in turn will cause the population to diminish, lower than it was in the 1900.

“At this stage, around 2040 to 2050, civilised life as we know it on this planet will cease to exist.”

The computer model appears to be primarily concerned with natural resources, pollution and population levels, but other factors should be considered as well. https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-08-15/mit-computer-model-predicts-dramatic-drop-quality-life-2020-end-civilization-2040

Prophecy also points to a time in the next decade or so for the end of civilization as we know it.

Recently Forbes said that the 2020s Might Be The Worst Decade In U S History and we made a video:

Forbes 2020s Might Be The Worst Decade In U S History

Forbes posted an article by John Mauldin titled “2020s Might Be The Worst Decade In U.S. History.” The article claimed that US debt is destined to rise dramatically as well as cause financial problems with Europe. He claimed that unemployment would greatly increase as well. He claimed a reset, like a biblical jubilee debt release, would be the logical solution. He claimed that the 2030s were then likely to be good. Could the 2020s be the worst decade in USA history? How might Habakkuk 2 play into any of this? What about Jeremiah 30? Could Jesus possibly return towards the end of the decade? Could the USA experience sorrows, troubles, and possibly the Great Tribulation in the 2020s? Could the 6000 years be over then? Could the 2030s be a fantastic time ushering in the millennium? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more.

Here is a link: Forbes 2020s Might Be The Worst Decade In U S History.

There is an old tradition that the prophet Elijah taught that there would be six thousand years for humans to rule under Satan’s kingdom, followed by one thousand years of abundance in the Kingdom of God.

Edward Gibbon from the 1776 work “THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,” where he documented the facts regarding the first century Christians wrote:

“The ancient and popular doctrine of the Millennium was intimately connected with the second coming of Christ. As the works of the creation had been finished in six days, their duration in their present state, according to a tradition which was attributed to the prophet Elijah, was fixed to six thousand years. By the same analogy it was inferred that this long period of labor and contention, which was now almost elapsed, would be succeeded by a joyful Sabbath of a thousand years; and that Christ, with the triumphant band of the saints and the elect who had escaped death, or who had been miraculously revived, would reign upon earth till the time appointed for the last and general resurrection”. – Vol I, p.403

Jewish tradition also seemingly attributes statements to the ‘school of Elijah’ or someone else. Here are two translations from the Talmud:

‘It was taught in the school of Elijah: The world will endure 6000 years — 2,000 years in chaos, 2,000 years with Torah, and 2,000 years will be the days of the Messiah’ (‘Talmud,’ Sanh.97a).

The Tanna debe Eliyyahu teaches: The world is to exist six thousand years. In the first two thousand there was desolation;  two thousand years the Torah flourished; and the next two thousand years is the Messianic era (Babylonian Talmud: Sanhedrin 97a).

While traditions should never supersede scripture, the above is certainly an interesting and ancient tradition that shows that the idea of a 6,000 year plan followed by Christ establishing His Kingdom on the earth was a common teaching among the early ones who professed Christ.

What does that have to do with 2020 or 2040?

Well, the 6000 years would be expected to be up by 2040, and may actually be up sometime next decade. For details, check out: Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End?

And while Jesus will return and establish the millennial Kingdom of God, He taught that there would be a horrible time just prior to that:

21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.

24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

25 See, I have told you beforehand.

26 Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.

27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:21-30)

So, while there will be good news, a bad time is coming.

A time worse than MIT or Forbes expects.

But afterwards will be the end of a deprived civilization and the beginning of the blessed Kingdom of God.

Chelsea Clinton

COGwriter

While the Clinton family has always been strident promoters of killing unborn babies, Chelsea Clinton has taken the view that abortion has been a major positive contributor to the economy of the USA:

Clinton, daughter to former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, hosted the Rise Up for Roe event in New York. She was speaking to the potential threat to reproductive rights posed by President Donald Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Bret Kavanaugh, and why people should care.

“Whether you fundamentally care about reproductive rights and access right, because these are not the same thing, if you care about social justice or economic justice, agency – you have to care about this,” Clinton said, according to the Media Research Center.

Clinton continued: “It is not a disconnected fact—to address this t-shirt of 1973—that American women entering the labor force from 1973 to 2009 added three and a half trillion dollars to our economy. Right? The net, new entrance of women—that is not disconnected from the fact that Roe became the law of the land in January of 1973.” …

It is unclear exactly what statistic or study Clinton was citing about the additions to the U.S. economy since abortion became legal. https://www.newsweek.com/clinton-trillions-abortion-added-economy-1074390

Disgusting: The Left has always gone out of its way to justify abortion — the flat-out murder of an unborn baby — since Roe v. Wade in 1973, but former first daughter Chelsea Clinton just won the award for the most barbaric. … Democrats never pass up on an opportunity to ‘defend’ a woman’s ‘right’ to kill her unborn baby. At a “Rise Up for Roe” event on Saturday, Clinton promoted the ‘economic advantages’ of abortion…

“It is not a disconnected fact – to address this t-shirt of 1973 – that American women entering the labor force from 1973 to 2009 added three and a half trillion dollars to our economy. Right?

Not only is this one of the sickest reasons any Democrat has come up with to justify the murder of unborn human beings, how did she even arrive at this figure? …

“The net, new entrance of women – that is not disconnected from the fact that Roe became the law of the land in January of 1973.”

Thus, no matter what other things Americans may care about, everyone should appreciate the economic value of legalized abortion, Clinton said…

What a great political thinker Chelsea is! We can hardly wait until she becomes president! https://thenationalsentinel.com/2018/08/15/the-way-chelsea-clinton-just-justified-the-murder-of-unborn-babies-is-sick/?mc_cid=7c97e45fc8&mc_eid=c2cbcbc77c

It is not “social justice” to allow unborn babies to be killed.

Chelsea Clinton also said, “Reproductive rights have always been economic rights.”

So, she believes that killing babies is some type of positive economic stimulus.

Abortion is wrong.

Consider also the following scriptures:

20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, (Romans 1:18)

Abortion is murder. It is not a proper type of economic stimulus.

It needs to be realized that beyond the financial costs for abortions, the cost to the USA for abortion has been massive.

Consider ta report last year reported by CBS:

For most Americans, income is on the decline

July 3, 2017

President Ronald Reagan might have clinched the 1980 election when he asked: “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” Today the question is: Are you better off than your parents were 50 years ago?

According to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), the answer — at least in terms of paychecks — is no. Most Americans are worse off, and becoming even more worse off, if possible.

In particular, men have endured “stagnation in lifetime incomes,” said the NBER report, with earnings that have dropped 19 percent when inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), is taken into account. In real dollars, males have lost close to $300,000 in lifetime earnings compared to the generation that came of age during the 1950s and 1960s boom years. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/for-most-americans-income-declines/

Fifty years ago from 2017 would have been 1967.

What started to happen then?

1967 is when the abortion industry begin to rise up and have legislative success in various US states:

Between 1967 and 1973 one-third of the states liberalized or repealed their criminal abortion laws. However, the right to have an abortion in all states was only made available to American women in 1973 when the Supreme Court struck down the remaining restrictive state laws with its ruling in Roe v. Wade. (History of Abortion. National Abortion Federation. http://www.prochoice.org/about_abortion/history_abortion.html viewed 04/02/13)

Since States began to “liberalize” or repeal anti-abortion laws, the economic situation in the USA began to change (bolding and italics in source):

Until 1970, the United States had a trade surplus and an inflow of money sometimes called a favorable balance of trade. After 1970, for the first time in a century, the United States was buying more goods abroad than it sold. It moved from a trade surplus to a trade deficit, when imports exceed exports, and money was flowing out of the United States in payments to foreign countries for imports. Since 1970, the unfavorable trade balance and trade deficit has grown…

After World War II until 1970, the United States was a creditor nation lending money to other countries. As a creditor nation, other countries owed more money to the United States than the United States owed to foreign countries.

After 1970, the United States became a net debtor nation. As a debtor nation, the United States owes more money to foreign countiress than the foreign countries owe the United States. The United States is now the largest debtor among all nations. (Howard J. Sherman, E. K. Hunt, Reynold F. Nesiba, Phillip Anthony O’Hara. Economics: An Introduction to Traditional and Progressive Views, 7th edition. M.E. Sharpe, 2008, p. 175)

It should be pointed out that although others believe that the line from an overall creditor to debtor nation happened in the 1980s (as opposed to annually which began around 1971), the process began earlier:

March 22, 2010 – Only a few decades ago, the United States was the world’s largest creditor nation. American capital spanned the globe financing all types of investments in virtually every country. But that dominance began to erode in the 1960s…By the 1980s, the inevitable happened. As generations of accumulated wealth disappeared, a line was crossed. America now owed more to the rest of the world than the world owed to it. The United States had become a debtor nation, and it has continued to run up the tab in the decades since. (Turk J. Debtor Nation. http://www.fgmr.com/debtor-nation.html viewed 04/03/13)

The Bible has a warning for a heavily indebted nation in the end time:

2 Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.

3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. …

6 “Will not all these take up a proverb against him, And a taunting riddle against him, and say, ‘Woe to him who increases What is not his–how long? And to him who loads himself with many pledges’?

7 Will not your creditors rise up suddenly? Will they not awaken who oppress you? And you will become their booty.

8 Because you have plundered many nations, All the remnant of the people shall plunder you, Because of men’s blood And the violence of the land and the city, And of all who dwell in it. (Habakkuk 2:2-3,6-8, NKJV)

No nation in history had more debt than the USA. This debt will be a factor in the destruction of the USA. This debt happened after the USA decided to legally allow abortions. This is not just a coincidence.

Look how the NIV translates that last verse:

8 Because you have plundered many nations, the peoples who are left will plunder you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them. (Habakkuk 2:8, NIV)

Abortion is the shedding of human blood.

Furthermore, the Bible teaches that debt is a curse for disobedience:

43 The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. 44 He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail. 45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed…47 “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything,  (Deuteronomy 28:42-45,47).

Debt is not an economic benefit from abortion–it is a curse! Consider the following:

13 “Behold, therefore, I beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst. 14 Can your heart endure, or can your hands remain strong, in the days when I shall deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and will do it. 15 I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your filthiness completely from you. (Ezekiel 22:13-15)

Any economic “benefit” from abortion is at best a dishonest profit from bloodshed. This will not end well for the USA.

Notice the following:

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness … 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:18, 28-32)

ALL the bolded terms above and more apply to the promoters of abortion. Abortion is NOT fitting, nor is increasing USA debt. And as far as being the “home of the brave” goes, it is not brave to kill infants. It is horrible and an act of cowardice.

Promoting and/or approving biblically-condemned actions is dangerous and puts the U.S.A. at increasing risk of God’s judgment (Romans 1:32). The USA is far and away the most indebted nation of all time.

Just over 44 years ago, on January 22, 1973 the United States Supreme Court decided to overturn state laws prohibiting abortion in a case known as Roe vs. Wade. Now look at the following:

In real terms, as mentioned above, US growth in the 21st century seems to have fallen back to medieval levels. Why?…Because the economy failed to produce real growth. After 1973, wages, for example, adjusted for inflation, went nowhere. (Bonner B. Economic Growth in the Internet Age. Daily Reckoning, June 23, 2011)

The typical working stiff earns less real money today than he did 40 years ago. (Bonner B. Economic Long Live the 1%. Daily Reckoning, November 25, 2011)

Whether counting from 1967 or 1973, something changed. Abortion is not good. Here is an estimate of US abortions from 1973 to 2017:

The Consequences of Roe v. Wade 60,069,971 Total abortions since 1973
http://www.nrlc.org/uploads/factsheets/FS01AbortionintheUS.pdf

If those aborted babies would have become average members of society, they would have contributed much more than the $3.5 trillion figure that Chelsea Clinton claims abortion laws provided.

We in the Continuing Church of God are striving to fulfill the following:

1 “Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 58:1)

Abortion is a sin.

As far as crying aloud goes, in addition to making posts on this COGwriter news page against abortion, as well as having a longer article against it (see Abortion, the Bible, and a Woman’s Right to Choose), we have made videos denouncing it as well as tying in certain economic consequences of this horrific practice. Here are links to two of them:

Abortion, the Bible, and US Debt. What is an abortion? How are they performed? Does the Bible teach that unborn children are still human? Is abortion wrong? How many are being aborted? Has there been increases in US debt since the “legalization” of abortion? Is debt a biblical curse? This is a video.

Land of ‘Free’ Abortions and Debt The State of Oregon decided to make abortions free for those that want them. Does freedom of choice include the right to shed innocent blood? What has happened to the economy of the USA since abortions became legalized? What has happened to incomes since that time? How many babies have been killed since the Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973? Is there a cost to abortion beyond the financial and emotional? What does the Bible teach? What does the Bible prophesy? Dr. Thiel addresses these and other questions. This is a video.

Because we have denounced abortion and other sins, we believe that this is why places like YouTube have discouraged people (via search algorithm changes) from finding our videos.

The Bible condemns those that shed innocent blood, as that is something that God hates:

So you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you when you do what is right in the sight of the LORD (Deuteronomy 21:9).

These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren (Proverbs 6:16-19).

Their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; Wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they have not known, And there is no justice in their ways; They have made themselves crooked paths; Whoever takes that way shall not know peace (Isaiah 59:7-8).

Thus says the LORD: “Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place (Jeremiah 22:3).

“Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, For shedding innocent blood, And practicing oppression and violence” (Jeremiah 22:17).

Babies are innocent. Killing them is the shedding of innocent blood.

Yet, Chelsea Clinton likes the impact of blood money on the economy.

This will not end well for the USA (cf. Habakkuk 2:6-8; Romans 1:28-32)

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Abortion, the Bible, and a Woman’s Right to Choose Do you know what the Bible teaches on this? Has the Roman Catholic Church allowed abortions? What about the real Church of God? Some may also, or instead, wish to view the YouTube video Abortion, the Bible, and US Debt.
Land of ‘Free’ Abortions and Debt The State of Oregon decided to make abortions free for those that want them. Does freedom of choice include the right to shed innocent blood? What has happened to the economy of the USA since abortions became legalized? What has happened to incomes since that time? How many babies have been killed since the Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973? Is there a cost to abortion beyond the financial and emotional? What does the Bible teach? What does the Bible prophesy? Dr. Thiel addresses these and other questions. This is a video.
Cross-dressing and other assaults against your children. What should you do? Is there an agenda to turn your children and/or grandchildren away from biblical morality and towards practices promoted by homosexuals? What does the Bible teach about cross-dressing? What should parents do? If there is an agenda, what has been going on? There are also three YouTube videos related to this, titled Transgender ‘Woe to those who call evil good’ and Cross dressing and Other Assaults Against Your Children and USA pushing gender confusion.
The Bible Condemns Homosexuality “Same-sex marriage” for “gays” and lesbians is becoming more acceptable to many. What does the Bible teach about homosexuality? Can homosexuals change? A related video sermon is titled: What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality?
Pornography: A scourge on society Is pornography harmless fun? Does the Bible teach anything about it? What are the views of some involved with it? A related sermons is titled: Pornography, False Comfort, and False Religion. Here a shorter YouTube video Pornography: Harmless Fun or a Scourge on Society?
The Ten Commandments Reflect Love, Breaking them is Evil Some feel that the ten commandments are a burden. Is that what Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, and John taught?
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? A related sermon is also available titled: Real Christian Repentance.
Just What Do You Mean — Repentance? Do you know what repentance is? Have you truly repented? Repented of what? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
When You Sin: Do You Really Repent? This is an article by Charles F. Hunting. A related sermon is Confess to God and truly repent.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be: Are Chinese threats against Australia for real?
Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?
British are the Covenant People What do ‘British’ and ‘Britain’ mean in Hebrew? Are the descendants of the Anglo-Saxons people of the covenant? Does the British royal family connect to the throne of David? What does the Bible teach? What does history show us? Is there any DNA evidence related to British-Israelism? When did Christianity make it to the British Isles? Could Jeremiah have made it to the British Isles? What type of Christians made it to the British Isles? Did the last King of England believe in British Israelism?
The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben: France in Prophecy? What is the origin of this in France? What is prophesied to happen to them? A two-part sermon related to history and prophecy is available online: The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben and France and Prophecy.
The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast This is a free draft/unedited pdf book explaining the what the Ten Commandments are, where they came from, how early professors of Christ viewed them, and how various ones, including the Beast of Revelation, will oppose them. A related sermon is titled: The Ten Commandments and the Beast of Revelation.

Reuben Was in Palestine Until Deportation

COGwriter

Former WCG member Bert Otten of the Netherlands sent me a paper which included the following:

1^st Clue: Reuben: See, a son!

And when the LORD SAW (va-yar – וירא ), that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived, and bare A SON (ben – בן ), and she called his name REUBEN (r’eu-ven – see, (a) son – ראובן ): for she said, Surely the LORD hath LOOKED (ra’a – ראה ) upon my affliction; now therefore MY HUSBAND (my man, ishi – אישי ) will love me (Gen 29:31-32, KJV throughout, unless mentioned otherwise).

Leah was unloved. Jacob loved Rachel and not Leah. However, Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Now my man will love me, for I gave him a man, she thought.

Having a son was very important in antiquity. A son is a ‘man’. It makes a father of Jacob and turns him into even more of a man than he already was. He now had a son, a man, an heir. The name ‘see (the) man’, Reuven, emphasizes the maleness of the child, therefore ‘my man’ ( ishi – אישי ) will love me, said Leah.

Reuben’s Coat of Arms: a man

There are two traditional emblems for the tribe of Reuben. Water, because he would be unstable as water (Gen 49:3-4) and ‘a handsome man’ because of his name: See a son! Reuven! (see http://www.docstoc.com/docs/77837968/Tribes-of-Israel).

This can be noticed among the French. It is certainly true for the French: See the man! See the son! See the heir! See the grandson! The French are a people with many handsome men. …

2^nd Clue: Reuben: l’amour, sex & love triangle

Now at the time of the grain-cutting, REUBEN saw some LOVE-fruits in the field, and took them to his mother Leah. And Rachel said to her, Let me have some of your SON’S LOVE-fruits. But Leah said to her, Is it a small thing that you have taken my husband from me? and now would you take my SON’S LOVE-fruits? Then Rachel said, You may have him tonight in exchange for your SON’S LOVE-fruits. In the evening, when Jacob came in from the field, Leah went out to him and said, Tonight you are to come to me, for I have given my SON’S LOVE-fruits as a price for you. And he went in to her that night (Gen 30:14-16, BBE, Bible in Basic English).

And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and LAY WITH Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it … (Genesis 35:22)

REUBEN, thou art my firstborn … thou shalt not excel; because THOU WENTEST UP TO THY FATHER’S BED; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch (Gen 49:3-4).

Reuben is a precocious nine year old when he finds dudayim, love-fruit, in the field. Apparently he knows about the use of the fruit and gives the love-fruit (mandrakes) to his mother Leah. In the Near East power was ascribed to Mandrakes, to arouse sex appeal and increase fertility. The Hebrew name duday – from dûd, to love – reflects the use of the mandrake.

Leah swapped the love-fruit for sex with her own husband, who was with Rachel most of the time apparently. From this encounter Issachar was born.

Thinking of Reuben, sex, love, fertility and love triangle come to mind. Through deceit by Laban Jacob ends up with two women. Leah and Rachel battle for Jacob’s favours. This is the first love triangle, from this love triangle Reuben is born. Rachel has Jacob’s love, but Leah has fertility, reproduction. The story about the love-fruits – I like the vocabulary of the Bible in Basic English here – is a continuation of the love triangle between Jacob, Leah and Rachel.

Reuben who is a first result of that love triangle, causes himself a new love triangle with his sexual adventure. After Rachel’s death he has sex with Bilhah, his father’s concubine.

In this Reuben is the opposite of Joseph, who refuses to have sex with Potiphar’s wife. The right of the firstborn will go to Joseph and not to Reuben (1 Chron 5:1).

Reuben’s tribe does not distinguish itself positively. The Reubenites joined the sex and dance around the Golden Calf. The tribe of Levi abstained and thus got the priesthood. Reuben also joined in

the orgy for Baal-Peor in the fields of Moab. Phinehas, of Levi, showed positive behaviour … Reuben just joined in. The Reubenites missed their chances to make a difference.

Love – l’amour – la maitresse – love triangle

Over the past 500 years, there has been more acceptance of the love triangle, of having a mistress, a lover, in France, than anywhere else.

The French kings gave the example: Wikipedia: The maîtresse-en-titre was the chief mistress of the king of France. It was a semi-official position which came with its own apartments. The title came into use during the reign of Henry IV and continued until the reign of Louis XV. From the reign of Louis XIV, the term has been applied, both in translation (“official mistress”) and in the original French, to refer to the main mistress of any monarch or prominent man when his relationship with her is not clandestine. …

3^rd Clue: Reuben & rebellion

Now the sons of REUBEN the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as HE DEFILED HIS FATHER’S BED, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright (1Chron 5:1).

Now Korah … the son of Levi, and DATHAN and ABIRAM, … SONS OF REUBEN, took men: And they ROSE UP BEFORE Moses … And they GATHERED THEMSELVES AGAINST Moses and against Aaron … And Moses sent to call DATHAN and ABIRAM … which said, WE WILL NOT COME UP (Num 16:1-3, 12). These are the families of the REUBENITES … And the sons of Eliab … DATHAN, and ABIRAM. This is that Dathan and Abiram, which were famous in the congregation, WHO STROVE AGAINST Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they strove against the LORD (Num 26:7-9).

And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the CHILDREN OF REUBEN, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here? And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them? … And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers’ stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the LORD toward Israel (Num 32:6-7; 14).

And when they came unto the … Jordan … the CHILDREN OF REUBEN and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to (Josh 22:10) … Thus saith the whole congregation of the LORD, What TRESPASS is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to TURN AWAY this day from following the LORD, in that ye have builded you an altar, that ye might REBEL this day against the LORD? (Josh 22:16).

Reuben and rebellion

The word rebellion sticks to Reuben and Reubenites. According to some it was not just lust why Reuben took Bilhah, his father’s concubine. It was also a deliberate attempt to take over the tribe, to ascertain his authority.

Reubenites never distinguished themselves in a positive way. The tribe of Reuben murmered in the desert, just like the rest of Israel; the Reubenite spy also brought back a bad report; Reuben belonged to the 10 rebelling tribes of Jeroboam and also belonged to the 10 unfaithful lost tribes, which went into the Assyrian exile.

On top of that there are the rebellion of Dathan and Abiram (Num 16), the request to stay in Transjordan (Num 32) and the building of the Great Altar (Josh 22).

Their request to live in Transjordan caused them to live far away from the other Israelites. Their western border was the Jordan and the Dead Sea, on the south they bordered Moab and the desert in the east. It was only in the north that they bordered another Israelite tribe, Gad. Consequently they kept to themselves in the time of Deborah and Barak: … For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart. Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart (Judg 5:15-16).

Vive la révolution!

French history and French spirit have displayed a spirit of rebellion, independence and revolt, over the past 250 years. The Gauls (Celts) also had a very independant spirit at the time of Julius Caesar.

In 2003 I wrote in Dutch about Ruben-France: It seems to me that the opposition, independence and rebelliousness of the French is babwell-known. Without research come to mind: the strikes of May ’68, the Commune of Paris, the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th République, 14 juillet, 1789, the Bastille, la Marseillaise, the revolutionary years of 1830, 1848, 1870, guillotine, générale de Gaulle, Force de frappe, the leaving of NATO command.

In History of FRANCE, by Pierre Gaxotte, this spirit is even phrased in a better way: It would have been understandable if the people would have wanted to throw off the monarchy, to replace it with something else. However, ‘this something else’ was something the people were inable to stick to; it was as if the first revolution had only created the necessity to change perpetually. Absolute Monarchy, Constitutional Monarchy, First Republic, Consulate, French Empire, Restoration, July-Monarchy, Second Republic, Second Empire, Third Republic, the French State (Vichy), Fourth Republic, Fifth Republic: in 170 years time France tried out thirteen different forms of government [!].

4^th Clue: Reuben, much cattle

Now the CHILDREN OF REUBEN and the children of Gad had A VERY GREAT MULTITUDE OF CATTLE: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was A PLACE FOR CATTLE; The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying, Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon, Even the country which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, IS A LAND FOR CATTLE, and thy servants have CATTLE: Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan (Num 32:1-5).

And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our CATTLE, and cities for our little ones (Num 32:16) … Our little ones, our wives, our FLOCKS, and all our CATTLE, shall be there in the cities of Gilead (Num 32:26).

… For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart. Why abodest thou among the SHEEPFOLDS, to hear the BLEATINGS of the FLOCKS? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart (Judg 15b-16).

The Jordanian Highlands were the tribal areas of Gad and Reuben in Biblical times. In Jordan the desert ascends from the east to the west, to high plains with an average height of 900m above sea-level, east of the River Jordan.

This steppe land has an average height of 900m above (Mediterranean) sea-level, with peaks of 1200m in the north (Gad) and 1700m in the south (Reuben). These highlands have been inhabited for 5000 years. The climate is Mediterranean with 300mm of rain in the south and 500mm of rain in the north (Cf. Jerusalem 550mm and Paris 650mm). This is where the Reubenites (descendants: the French) and the Gadites (descendants: the Swiss) settled, because they had much cattle.

The French: much cattle

France is an agricultural nation and the French have much cattle. According to Eurostat there were 87 million heads of cattle in the 27 EU countries in 2010. In France there were 20 million cattle.

Boeuf – beef – steak of beef – le bifteck

Linguistically French is also connected with the ‘flesh’ of ‘cattle’. The bull in French is le boeuf; boeuf became beef in English; when you eat a ‘bit’, a ‘stick’ or a ‘steak’ of it, it gives a steak of beef. This became biefstuk in Dutch and the word moved back to French as le bifteck.

Cheese Country

All these cattle (and sheep) produce about 25 million tonnes of milk and dairy products. Much of this milk is turned into cheese. France is the most important cheese country in the World.

France produces about 2 million tonnes of cheese each year (Holland 700,000 tonnes). There are about 300 to 400 different kinds of cheeses. According to some, one kind for each day of the year (365). In France they say ‘le pays des 300 fromages’, country of the 300 cheeses. The French see cheese as part of their national identity.

President De Gaulle once remarked about his unruly fellow countrymen: How would you rule a country where they have 246 different kinds of cheese?

French Cheese

There is a Wikipedia page with all kinds of French cheeses: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_de_fromages_fran%C3%A7ais. A number of well-known brands are: Camembert, Roquefort, Brie, la Vache qui rit, Paturain, Boursin, Beaufort, Bleu (de Bresse), Chèvre (du Poitou), etc.

5^th Clue: Reuben: unstable like water

Reuben, thou art my firstborn … UNSTABLE AS WATER, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch (Gen 49:3-4).

And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him. And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again (Gen 37:21-22) … And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go? (Gen 37:29-30).

And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me. And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again (Gen 42:36-37).

And Moses said unto … the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here? And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them? (Num 32:6-7).

And when they came unto the borders of Jordan … the children of Reuben and the children of Gad … built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to (Josh 22:10).

… For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart. Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart (Judg 15b-16).

And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an 100,000 lambs, and an 100,000 rams, with the wool. But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel (2Ki 3:4-5).

Plans …

Some of these verses were already used in the rebellion chapter, but here they are again with a different emphasis. Reuben is full of passion, impetuous, uncontrolable … unstable like water. Reuben often comes with doubtful or less successful plans.

Reuben’s plan to save Joseph by having him thrown into a dry well backfired. His offer to have his two sons killed (Jacob’s grandsons!) if he did not return with Benjamin was quite absurd.

The plans of the Reubenites Dathan and Abiram to become leaders in Israel utterly failed. The plans to stay in Gilead and the building of the Great Altar barely came to a good conclusion. Deborah’s call to the arms was met with indeciveness.

Settling in Transjordan, in Gilead, had great disadvantages. Reuben was tucked away, across the River Jordan, behind the Dead Sea, far away from the other tribes.

When king Mesha rebelled against the House of Israel he conquered the tribal area of Reuben (around 835 BC). This can be read on the Mesha Stele or Moabite Stone, found in 1868 (The Mesha Stele is in the Louvres Museum in Paris!). So living far away from the other tribes was not such a good plan either. The Reubenites were under Moabite control. At the time of Isaiah all of the tribal area of Reuben had become part of the Kingdom of Moab (Isaiah 15-16).

Futile plans …

There have been a few futile French plans as well. Above we saw that France had thirteen forms of government in 170 years. This answers the phrase, unstable like water. Stability can be a great blessing for a people. Instability most often is a curse.

Many French plans backfired. Louis XIV wanted France to be vast and great and wanted the Rhine to be the national border of France. He waged war all his life. The rest of Europe turned against him and most of his plans came to nothing in the end. He set the stage for three centuries of fighting over Alsace-Lorraine.

Many of the plans of the Revolution (1789) came to nothing, the French even tried to abolish the week. They split up the months into three decades (10 days), after twelve months of 30 days there were 5 loose days to finish off the year. This Republican French Calendar was in use from 1793 to 1805. They also invented decimal time, another impractible plan. The day would have 10 hours, each hour 100 minutes and each minute a 100 seconds.

Napoleon eventually got rid of most of the fruitless plans of the revolution and fought for the glory of himself and France by conquering Europe. Also unprofitable, in the end all conquests were lost to France. What remained was the 5 million dead of all the Napoleonic wars. The French still see him as their great hero and have built him a great tomb.

France was humiliated in 1870-1871 when the Prussians (Germans) beat them in a short war and retook Alsace Lorraine.

This led to another hollow French plan: French revanchism. For 43 years French politics were dominated by revanchism, to make war with the German Empire, win and retake Alsace-Lorraine (1871-1914). They had their way. It led to World War I and consequently to 10 million dead. The War was ended by the fateful Peace of Versailles, which in turn led to World War II. The French would not listen to (moderate) president Wilson of the USA and they humiliated the Germans needlessly .

Doctor Guillotin improved the machine, so people would die a more humane death. From that moment on the guillotine executed people like a conveyor belt.

The French Non! of Charles de Gaulle towards the British was unnecessary and only slowed down history. Chirac’s nuclear testing was not needed. The Union for the Mediterranean of Sarkozy is an empty shell.

The Vichy Regime of Pétain was a disaster and led to close cooperation with Nazi Germany.

Gaxotte states in History of FRANCE, page 102, We have to admit that France sometimes developed itself, in spite of the anarchistic tendencies of the French.

Now although not all would agree with the above, I thought Bert Otten’s comments were a COG news item that some may find of interest. Since his paper was long, I only have put together the first five clues in WordPress format, but plan to post the others next week.

As far as the future of France goes, I have written an article titled: The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben: France in Prophecy? along with a video sermon: The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben that some might find helpful.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben: France in Prophecy? What is the origin of this in France? What is prophesied to happen to them? A two-part sermon related to history and prophecy is available online: The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben and France and Prophecy.
Terror: Will Paris be Destroyed? The Paris office of Charlie Hebdo were attacked in January 2015 and the City of Paris was hit with multiple terrorist attacks in November 2015. Will Paris be destroyed? Is more terrorism prophesied? Will a successful militaristic leader arise in Europe? What do biblical and Catholic prophecies teach? Could any non-biblical prophecies be devices of Satan that will deceive people about what will happen? Dr. Thiel answers these questions and more through scriptures and other writings. This is a video.
The Prophesied ‘Islamic’ Confederation Where is an Islamic caliphate prophesied? Will one happen? Should you be concerned about it? Here is a link to a related video video: Will an Arabic Calphiphate Destroy the West?
How Will Middle East Peace be Brought About? Can humans bring peace to the Middle East? Here is a link to a related video: Middle East Peace? When?
Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous. A related sermon is titled Ten Kings of Revelation and the Great Tribulation.
Ten clues tying Belgium and Luxembourg with the tribe of Asher Who did some in Belgium and Luxembourg descend from?
Ten clues tying Zebulun with the Dutch Who did some in the Netherlands descend from? Here is a link to information about doctrine in the Dutch language Verklaring van geloofspunten van de Continuing Church of God.
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
European Technology and the Beast of Revelation Will the coming European Beast power would use and develop technology that will result in the taking over of the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies? Is this possible? What does the Bible teach? Here is a related YouTube video: Military Technology and the Beast of Revelation.
Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North? Is the former German Defense Minister (who is also the former German Minister for Economics and Technology) one to watch? What do Catholic, Byzantine, and biblical prophecies suggest?
Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History Are the Germanic peoples descended from Asshur of the Bible? Have there been real Christians in Germanic history? What about the “Holy Roman Empire”? There is also a You-Tube video sermon on this titled Germany’s Biblical Origins.
Germany in Biblical and Catholic Prophecy Does Assyria in the Bible equate to an end time power inhabiting the area of the old Roman Empire? What does prophecy say Germany will do and what does it say will happen to most of the German people?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European? The Book of Revelation tells of a beast power that will rise up. Some think that this must be Russia or could be Islamic, while others say that this power is European. The Book of Daniel tells of the rise of an end time King of the North that some think must be referring to a Russian leader, while others say that this power is European. How can you be sure? This YouTube video has all the scriptural proofs that you should need to prove that this power must be a European one.
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims? An item of possibly related interest in the Spanish language would be: Líderes iraníes condenan la hipocresía de Occidente y declaran que ahora es tiempo para prepararse para el Armagedón, la guerra, y el Imán Mahdi.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be: Are Chinese threats against Australia for real?
Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?
British are the Covenant People What do ‘British’ and ‘Britain’ mean in Hebrew? Are the descendants of the Anglo-Saxons people of the covenant? Does the British royal family connect to the throne of David? What does the Bible teach? What does history show us? Is there any DNA evidence related to British-Israelism? When did Christianity make it to the British Isles? Could Jeremiah have made it to the British Isles? What type of Christians made it to the British Isles? Did the last King of England believe in British Israelism?
Persecutions by Church and State This article documents some that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied to occur. Will those with the cross be the persecutors or the persecuted–this article has the shocking answer. There is also a YouTube video sermon you can watch: The Coming Persecution of the Church. Here is information in the Spanish language: Persecuciones de la Iglesia y el Estado.
World War III: Steps in Progress Are there surprising actions going on now that are leading to WWIII? Might a nuclear attack be expected? Does the Bible promise protection to all or only some Christians? How can you be part of those that will be protected? A related video would be Is World War III About to Begin? Can You Escape?

Union for the Mediterranean

Blue: Members of the European Union in the Union for the Mediterranean States
Green: Other members (primarily from the African Union & Arab League, but Syria is suspended and Libya is only an observer)

COGwriter

Do you remember the Union for the Mediterranean States? Here is a report about it:

Why Is Nobody Talking About The Union For The Mediterranean?

In July, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Most Europeans, however, are unlikely to have heard about the Union, let alone the anniversary. The media rarely reports on the UfM and its activities.

The participating countries in the UfM are the 28 European Union (EU) member states and the Southern Mediterranean countries, which include Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, “Palestine”, Syria (temporarily suspended), Tunisia and Turkey. Libya has observer status in the UfM. The UfM is chaired by a “co-presidency” shared between the European Union and Jordan. The UfM Secretariat maintains the daily operations of the UfM and is run by a Secretary General, presently Nasser Kamel (Egypt).

The UfM was launched by a decision of the UfM Heads of State and Government in Paris in July 2008, and constitutes an institutionalization of the Barcelona Process, which began in November 1995 with the signing of the Barcelona Declaration.

According to the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed), the Euro-Mediterranean alliance launched by the Barcelona Declaration Process “was structured around three main work areas (political and security dialogue; economic and financial partnership; and social, cultural and human partnership)” between the EU and the mainly Muslim majority countries in North Africa and the Middle East (usually referred to in UfM context as the Southern Mediterranean). …

The UfM has held 15 ministerial conferences on “key strategic areas” in the past 5 years on topics such as, Strengthening the role of Women in Society (Egypt, November 2017), Sustainable Urban Development (Egypt, May 2017), Water (Malta, April 2017), Energy (Italy, December 2016) Employment and Labour (Jordan, September 2016), Regional Cooperation and Planning (Jordan, June 2016), Blue Economy (Belgium, November 2015) Digital Economy (Belgium, September 2014), Environment and Climate Change (Greece, May 2014), Industrial Cooperation, (Belgium, February 2014) Energy (Belgium, December 2013), and Transport (Belgium, November 2013), as well as two Foreign Minister Conferences (Spain January 2017 and Spain November 2015) …

According to the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed):

“From 1995 to 2006, the EU allocated 16,000 million euros through MEDA programmes for bilateral and regional cooperation, aimed at fostering both socioeconomic projects (modernisation of the industry, promotion of the private sector, reform of the health sector, development funds…) and political and good governance reforms…

“The cooperation funds are channelled through the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI), aimed at both the eastern European and southern Mediterranean neighbourhood. The joint budget for both regions for the period 2007-2013 amounts to 11,000 million euros…

Given these large sums, it is remarkable that the UfM and its activities enjoy little to no scrutiny in the European press. …

It seems counterintuitive that nearly a quarter century of costly investment by Europe in the southern UfM countries appears to have yielded few to no positive results. Despite the UfM’s own aforementioned assessment of challenges having reached “unprecedented levels,” the EU nevertheless continues the Barcelona Process in the form of the UfM. It is also bizarre that any substantive evaluation of the costs and benefits of the Barcelona Process, and the UfM and its many projects is absent from most public discourse, as the media apparently fail to report on the UfM and its activities. 08/14/18 https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12838/union-for-the-mediterranean

So, a lot of money is being poured into a union that few know anything about that seems to have not accomplished much.

So why report about it?

I have long found this Mediterranean union to be of prophetic interest as it essentially includes a “president from the North” and a “president of the South.” Eventually, it may be that these positions could represent the prophesied final King of the North and King of the South (or the Union for the Mediterranean States leaders may simply take direction from these “Kings”). Or at least a framework by which various prophecies can be fulfilled.

For example, I have long suspected that this Union for the Mediterranean States could be the framework for making the prophesied deals between the prophesied final King of the North and King of the South (Daniel 9:27, Psalm 83):

27 Both these kings’ hearts shall be bent on evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table; but it shall not prosper, for the end will still be at the appointed time (Daniel 11:27).

3 They have taken crafty counsel against Your people,
And consulted together against Your sheltered ones.
4 They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation,
That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”

5 For they have consulted together with one consent;
They form a confederacy against You:
6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites;
Moab and the Hagrites;
7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assyria also has joined with them;
They have helped the children of Lot (Psalm 83:3-8).

Not only Israel, but those in the Anglo-descended nations need to be concerned about the ramifications of the prophesied deal in Psalm 83 as Assyria represents a significant portion of the modern EU.

As far as some of those who are involved in the Psalm 83 prophecy, notice what the old Radio Church of God taught:

Turn to the astounding prophecy found in Psalm 83:1-8. David, inspired of God, predicted the coming time when ALL of Israel’s enemies would join together in an effort to crush out even the name “Israel” from the face of the earth! (Verse 4)

“For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee…” (verse 5). Notice the nations making up this confederation. “Edom [Turkey], and the Ishmaelites [Saudi Arabia]; Moab [Jordan], and the Hagarenes [they anciently dwelt in the land known as Syria today]; Gebal {Lebanon}, and Ammon [Jordan] and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur [whose descendants migrated to Germany] is joined with them; they have helped the children of Lot” {Moab and Ammon in modern Jordan).

Here we see that the Arab nations mentioned are allied with Germany (Assur) which we know from other prophecies will be the military leader — naturally so — of a United States of Europe. But what of Egypt? She is not directly mentioned in Psalm 83. Egypt controls the vital Suez. She will provoke the prophesied United Europe (Dan. 11:40).

This European power — called the “king of the north” in Daniel 11 — shall invade and occupy the “glorious land” of Palestine (verse 41). “And the land of Egypt shall not escape” (Dan. 11:42). These events were foretold by Jesus Christ. In His Olivet prophecy, He said: “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh” (Luke 21:20). When you see a coming resurrection of the old Holy Roman Empire — a United States of Europe — the coming third power bloc in central Europe — marching into Palestine, then realize that this final desolation of Jerusalem is beginning! (Boraker R. SYRIA RAIDS ISRAEL – Where Is It Leading? Plain Truth. November 1966)

The above article did not mention that the Islamic-dominated nations listed in Psalm 83 are basically the same ones that will be part of the coming King of the South (Daniel 11:40-43), but that is the case. It also did not fully define ‘Israel’ (for more on the modern identity of ‘Israel,’ check out the article Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel ).

The coming European King of the North will make a deal with the coming King of the South (Daniel 11:27).

The Union for the Mediterranean States is a vehicle that may well be used to make the deal that Daniel 11:27 tells of as well as perhaps also the deal of Psalm 83.

This will not turn out well for Israel nor the nations like the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Is the Future King of the South Rising Up? Some no longer believe there needs to be a future King of the South. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi or Caliph? What does the Bible say? A YouTube video of related interest may be: The Future King of the South is Rising.
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims? An item of possibly related interest in the Spanish language would be: Líderes iraníes condenan la hipocresía de Occidente y declaran que ahora es tiempo para prepararse para el Armagedón, la guerra, y el Imán Mahdi.
The Prophesied ‘Islamic’ Confederation Where is an Islamic caliphate prophesied? Will one happen? Should you be concerned about it? A related video is Will an Arabic Calphiphate Destroy the West?
Europa, the Beast, and the Book of Revelation discusses the largest church since the second/third century, which in a real sense is the eighth church mentioned in the Book of Revelation (it also endorses “eighth day” worship). What church would support the Beast? Here is a link to a video titled: Europe and the ‘Holy Roman Empire’.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
The Great Monarch: Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Is the ‘Great Monarch’ of Catholic prophecies endorsed or condemned by the Bible? Two sermons of related interest are also available: Great Monarch: Messiah or False Christ? and Great Monarch in 50+ Beast Prophecies.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be: Are Chinese threats against Australia for real?
Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?